By DANE LILLINGSTONE
Champion bull rider Matt Boland said it was always his dream to travel around the world doing what he loves.
Originally from Goondiwindi and now residing in Haden near Toowoomba, Matt didn’t take down the big one at the Warwick Rodeo but that won’t stop him or his wife Miss Rodeo Australia Danika Boland from touring the circuit.
“I’ve been riding bulls professionally for about nine or 10 years now,” Matt said.
“I guess it was just always my dream. I had to work hard for it. You got to train hard, go to the gym, run, live and breathe it every day, which is time consuming but it’s something you have to be really passionate about. You can’t be half in or out. You got to love it.
“I rode a few steers when I was kid but when I turned 18, 19 I started riding bulls again then when I turned about 21, 22 that’s when my career really took up.”
The proud father of a little boy and the 2013 Professional Bull Riders Innisfail Touring Pro Champion, Matt has always shown potential.
He is now in his rookie year of the Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) after touring the circuit through the United States last year with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
He entered his third Warwick Rodeo this year but said he was happy to be back in Queensland.
“This is where I want to be,” he said.
He also said that the hardest part of his career was the constant travelling.
“Sometimes it’s the miles. We’re back and forth across the country every weekend.
“That’s probably the hardest thing but it’s all worth it,” he said.
Matt and Danika are both now on their way back to America where the touring will continue.
